


On The Shore

by FiresFromOurHearts



Series: Small Harry Potter Things [44]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Families of Choice, Founders are all about found family and i don't make the rules, Gen, Inspired by the Little Mermaid, Married Helga Hufflepuff/Rowena Ravenclaw, Mermaid Harry Potter, Mermaids, QPR Godric Gryffindor & Salazar Slytherin, Sea witch!Founders, once again, spells & magic, what the fuck do i tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-09
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 17:41:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,493
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29318037
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FiresFromOurHearts/pseuds/FiresFromOurHearts
Summary: In the end, Harry falls in love with humanity the same way he fell in love with the green of land—quickly, rapidly, happily. The sea has no lost love for Harry and he loves the sea the way that people love the place they call home. That is not to say, however, that Harry wants to stay there. The sea is a weight around his ankle, an inescapable chain. Harry assumes that he will always be stuck in the sea, always be unhappy, always yearn for something more, something better, something on land.But then, Harry hears a rumour.Gossip of the sea witch who’s made her home deep in the darkness of the Darkwater Trench has always been around. It’s all hearsay, nothing concrete—until it isn’t. A rumour travels along the currents, that the sea witch will take something of value and grant you any wish you want. There are stories accompanying the rumour.And, well, Harry has nothing to lose.There is a bargain to be made, a voice for legs, but nothing else in the story is the same.
Relationships: Godric Gryffindor & Helga Hufflepuff & Harry Potter & Rowena Ravenclaw & Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor & Helga Hufflepuff & Rowena Ravenclaw & Salazar Slytherin, Godric Gryffindor & Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff & Harry Potter, Helga Hufflepuff/Rowena Ravenclaw
Series: Small Harry Potter Things [44]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/719196
Kudos: 7





	On The Shore

This isn’t some fairy tale. It’s nothing like that. Harry… Harry isn’t a prince or a missing prince or some saviour. Harry Potter is, rather, an ordinary merman with a not-so-ordinary yearning to live life outside of the sea.

The sea is nice. _Really_ , it is. But it’s the same thing in every direction, endless blue and none of the merman nearby are exactly kind. No one sings underwater. No one reaches out and pulls Harry close. No, it’s only Harry and the endless blue.

When the storms are at their loudest, the waves at their fiercest, Harry has a habit of heading closer to the shore. It’s not like he really ever sees humans, not close up at least. But sometimes there will be people running along the cliff tops, shouts stolen away by the wind. Sometimes there are faces peeking out from windows that Harry sees through the heavy rain. Sometimes Harry hears _laughter_ though he never sees the people laughing.

When the weather is calmer, the waves kinder, Harry watches ships from hidden places. The ships are always bustling chaos, but the people reach out to one another. Humans are gentle, with one another. They are happy to be there.

In the end, Harry falls in love with humanity the same way he fell in love with the green of land—quickly, rapidly, happily. The sea has no lost love for Harry and he loves the sea the way that people love the place they call home. That is not to say, however, that Harry wants to stay there. The sea is a weight around his ankle, an inescapable chain. Harry assumes that he will always be stuck in the sea, always be unhappy, always yearn for something more, something better, something on land.

But then, Harry hears a rumour.

Gossip of the sea witch who’s made her home deep in the darkness of the Darkwater Trench has always been around. It’s all hearsay, nothing concrete—until it isn’t. A rumour travels along the currents, that the sea witch will take something of value and grant you any wish you want. There are stories accompanying the rumour.

And, well, Harry has nothing to lose. So he turns his back on the shore and the humans and swims further out to sea. He swims all the way to Darkwater Trench and then swims down and down and down. Around him, the world turns dark and loses all source of light. Harry knows nothing, losing up and down, and just swims in one direction and hopes that it is the right one, though there’s nothing to trust but his own instincts.

Then, somehow, after an indeterminate amount of time has passed, Harry finds himself hitting the seafloor. He hits it hard, slamming into it with hands out stretched. The sand is soft against his skin, loose, but he can’t see what’s around him. It’s all pitch black.

It’s only now that Harry realises none of the stories he’s heard talk about how to find the sea witch. They just… say what happens after the sea witch has been found or finds them or however it works. Regardless, Harry hasn’t come this far simply to give up now. He swims forward, uncertain where he’s going but at least he’s moving.

Off somewhere to his side, there’s a dim glow from some fish. Harry doesn’t bother to swim towards it. Everyone knows it’s dangerous to be down in deep waters. The creatures are strange there.

A hand grips his wrist, and Harry lashes out. “Who’s there?” He shouts.

“Why are you here?” Something hisses from nearby, but his wrist has been let go of at least.

Rubbing his wrist, Harry swallows. “I heard rumours,” he says, “of a sea witch. They said she could help me.”

A pause, and then, “Very well. Your kind is not meant to be here. I will guide you there.”

The hand, somewhat more cautious, slips around his wrist once again. The fingers are rough, but the touch is gentle. Harry follows without another word.

He’s lead into a cave, and then there is light. The walls of the cave glow, glim, and then, further in, it is the roof that glows. It almost looks like the stars Harry sees; scattered, pin-pricks of light. Now able to see, he glances at the person who had led him here.

She’s a shark mermaid, long tail all muscle and scars. She’s much bigger than Harry too, but her eyes are kind. “I’m Helga,” she tells him cheerfully as they swim along. “Sorry if I spooked you out there! But you’re not made to withstand the environment down here, which make things a little bit tricky.”

“And you are?” Harry asks, curious more than anything. In the light, it feels a little bit easier to breathe.

Helga nods. “Yep! We’ve been around here for quite some time, though it’s hard to tell the passing of time just quietly. There’s quite a few of us around here, though you probably won’t meet all of us.”

“And the sea witch?”

“We’re all sea witches here,” Helga informs him. “Depending on what you need, you might meet someone else. We’re the strongest four though, so I figured we’re best suited to help. You’re here for a wish, right?”

“Yes,” Harry says quietly.

Helga smiles. “That’s easy then. They’re just around the corner, come along now.”

And indeed, when they turned the corner there were another three sea witches. All of them had shark-based tails, making Harry feel somewhat self-conscious of his own fish-based tail. Like Helga, they were scarred and muscular and larger than him. But, like Helga, they all looked kind. Much like the humans, Harry thought to himself, willing to reach out and touch one another. It’s very different from the mer Harry is used to.

“That’s my wife, Rowena,” Helga says, beginning the introductions. “Beside her, the one grinning, is Godric and his blood-brother Salazar.”

“Welcome,” Salazar says, dipping his head. “You’ve come for a wish?”

“Yes,” Harry says. “I mean, if that’s okay?” Then, remembering that he hasn’t introduced himself, he ducks his head and adds, “I’m Harry, by the way.”

“Well Harry,” Godric says, “I think we can work with that. Between the four of us, we can definitely manage something.”

“Indeed,” Rowena says. “However, for something to be done, you must also give something. Do you understand Harry? This isn’t quite a wish, it’s more like a deal.”

Harry nods. He knew what he was getting into, right from the beginning. “I do,” he says. “I want to be made human.”

The four exchange glances, a conversation held in silence. “We can do that,” Rowena says. “But this isn’t something that can be easily undone. You’ll give up the life you can live here. You’ll be tied to the land, but you will be tied to the ocean too.”

“This is not an easy spell,” Helga explains. “We cannot change your nature, not entirely. And- And what we do do… It’ll hurt. It might feel like you’re always working on knives or the air might hurt to breathe. We can’t say for a fact. There are strange side effects.”

“But you can do it?” Harry asks, heart in his throat.

“We can do it,” Godric says. “But this might be a spell that all four of us will have to work, considering the many moving aspects. If you want, we can tie in a limit for it. It’ll only work for so long.”

Harry considers it. There’s something scary about leaving the sea behind, leaving his home behind. But the sea has never called to him, not like the land and the people there do. “No,” he says at last. “I don’t need a limit. Does that make it harder?”

“It makes it easier,” Rowena says. “But you must understand what you’re doing. This is not something that can easily be undone.”

“That’s okay,” Harry shrugs. “I’ll be okay. I want this, really.”

“If you say so,” Rowena says. “What will you give then, Harry, for this spell?”

What can Harry give? He doesn’t have riches or wealth or anything. He doesn’t have stories of his own, which has been a frequent fee in the tales he’s heard. He’s not really sure what he has, just himself really.

“What… What about my voice?” He asks.

“That’s a powerful thing,” Godric says. “Are you sure?”

Harry nods. “I am,” he says, conviction heavy in his bones. He wants this, wants it completely with everything he is, and he’ll give anything to join the world outside of the sea.

“Very well,” Helga says, voice kind and hands gentle, as she places a hand over his heart. The others all join hands, with Rowena placing a hand over his throat. “Good luck, Harry.”

The last thing he sees is blinding light as the others begin to glow. Then it all goes black.

**Author's Note:**

> I might continue this with another chapter, only the future will know. 
> 
> In case you were wondering, I can confirm that Helga and Rowena are happily married. They live with Godric and Salazar, who are in a QPR (I don't make the rules, that's how it had to go). 
> 
> As for Hermione and Ron... Well, Ron finds Harry out on the beach and takes him back home. Ron works at a bakery run by his mother and some of his brothers, so he has some time to help Harry. When he learns Harry is mute, they go find Hermione at the library for books on sign language, but she ends up helping Harry learn and they all become friends. They all live happily ever after, of course.


End file.
